eBay is a place where buyers and sellers meet online and make transactions. As an eBay seller, being part of the community means not just selling your own stuff but being a customer as well. In this article, let’s talk about how buyers can affect your reputation as a seller and how purchasing on eBay can boost your sales.

Customer Feedback and Detailed Seller Ratings
People who look for things to buy on eBay often base their choices on the seller’s ratings. All buyers are encouraged to participate by giving feedback about the seller’s products and quality of service. Aside from posting comments, buyers provide anonymous ratings based on several criteria. This is known as the eBay Detailed Seller Ratings or DSR.  Buyers will be giving their personal ratings by considering the following questions:

• Did the item meet your expectations and was it as described in the auction listing?

• Did the seller email you after the auction, or did you have to contact them? What was their general communication with you like?

• How long did it take for your item to arrive?

• Were the shipping and handling charges fair?

• How did you react to the way the item was packed for shipping?

• Were you pleased with the overall level of customer service?

To get a good or an excellent score, a seller must ensure 100% customer satisfaction. It’s very important that the items you sell meet the expectations of your buyer. False expectations or misleading ads can be avoided by providing a detailed and accurate description in your listing. Don’t skip the most important details about the item, especially if it has minor flaws or defects.

You should also make sure that order will be delivered on time and that the item will arrive in good condition.  To avoid getting inaccurate ratings, it is best to get in touch with your buyer not only before the sale but after the sale has been made. Ask your buyer if they received the item on time and if they have any concerns at all about the transaction. By doing so, you can try to make arrangements before your customer puts out a negative feedback or a bad rating which can badly hurt your credibility as a seller.

It’s Your Turn to Rate Other Sellers
Knowing what it’s like to choose products and what it’s like to deal with a seller will give you a better understanding on what buyers go through. In response, you can improve your own services based on what you observed and experienced.
Yes, eBay sellers are encouraged to participate in the buying transactions. In fact, the PowerSellers of ebay are known to show full support to their fellow eBay sellers by making purchases from them time and again.

If you’re a small business retailer who sells products from the internet, you need to be extra cautious about the risk of online fraud and ID theft.  Below are tips for both buyers and sellers on how to do an online business more safely:

FOR ONLINE RETAILERS:

Use a secured server.

An internet merchant should only use a secured server with at least 128-bit data encryption.  A secured server will protect both you and your customers as you receive credit card payments online. 

Prepare Your Merchant Privacy Policy.

A legitimate online seller should post a Privacy Protection and be true to its Policies.  Assure your customers that you will never use or sell their personal information for any other purposes except for that purchase.

Always use an updated anti-virus program.

Install an updated anti-virus program to protect your computer system from viruses, malicious files, spyware and hackers trying to invade your files.

Open a Merchant Account from a trusted provider.

Since you will be accepting credit card payments from your customers, it is crucial to apply for a Merchant Account from a trusted and secured Merchant Account provider.  See to it that their credit card processing system will give you protection against online credit fraud and ID thieves.

FOR BUYERS:

Manually type the URL in your address bar.

If you want to buy from an online merchant, it’s best to simply type the complete URL in your address bar.  Instead of clicking links that could lead to a fake site or phishing website, you can be sure that you’re on the right website by manually typing the web address.

Purchase only from reputable merchants.

Some online sellers may offer incredibly low prices for the same products and services.  However, it is better to purchase from a reputable merchant than risk purchasing from an unreliable seller.

Use trusted secondary online payment services.

Instead of using your personal credit card for payment, consider paying through a secondary online payment service like PayPal.  This enables you to send payment without revealing your personal card information.

Check your credit card billing statement.

Check your credit card bill right away especially when you made an online purchase.  If you don’t receive your billing statement for this month, inform your credit card issuer immediately.  ID thieves often call the credit card issuer and ask for a change of address to prevent the real credit card owner from learning about the unauthorized purchase right away.